According to some sources, the famed discoverer of America, Christopher Columbus, initially showed no interest in the sacred tree of the local tribes. In fact, the renowned European navigator mistook the unfamiliar fruits for goat droppings. Meanwhile, the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans used cocoa beans as currency: they paid taxes and services with them, and exchanged them for other goods or clothing. The value of this form of payment was so high that a dozen cocoa beans could buy a rabbit, and a h…

Ingredients:

1 cup pearl barley
200 g mushrooms (about 7 oz)
1 onion
1 tsp vegetable oil
Salt to taste

Instructions:

Rinse the pearl barley and soak it in 1 liter (about 4 cups) of water overnight.
The next day, transfer the soaked barley to a pot, adding water at a ratio of 1.5 cups of water for every cup of soaked barley (it will expand after soaking).
Cover the pot and place it in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 40-50 minutes.
Dice the onion and slice the mushrooms. Sauté the onion i…

Oats: 1 cup
Water (boiling): 1/2 cup
Mushrooms: 3 pieces
Potato: 1 piece
Onion: 1 piece
Garlic: 2 cloves
Herbs, salt, and pepper to taste,
Vegetable oil for frying
1. Place the oats in a bowl, pour boiling water over them, cover with a lid, and let them soak for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, peel the potato and grate it finely. Peel, wash, and grate the onion. Cut the mushrooms into small cubes, chop the herbs, and press the garlic through a garlic press.
3. Add the soaked oats to the bow…

Research has shown that consuming negative news is linked to mental health issues such as feelings of anxiety, insecurity, and vulnerability. Bad news can make a person more pessimistic about themselves, others, and life in general, claims Reza Shahabahang, a media psychologist and researcher at Flinders University in Australia.
According to him, sometimes absorbing a large amount of distressing news can even lead to psychological trauma. This means that a person may experience symptoms of post…

Nails are not just an important part of your aesthetic; they also serve as indicators of your overall health. They can reflect strong well-being or signal neglect, poor hygiene, harmful habits, and internal diseases. Changes in color, spots, unevenness, splitting, or brittleness are markers of issues that require attention.
Shape and Color
A “healthy” nail is firmly attached and features a clearly defined, rounded, light-colored lunula near the cuticle. A healthy nail plate always has an even c…

Cottage Cheese Dumplings with Pumpkin
Ingredients:

Cottage cheese: 250g
Egg: 1
Pumpkin flesh: 200g
Salt and pepper to taste
Flour: 100g

Instructions:
Start by mashing the cottage cheese with the egg, then season with salt and pepper. Finely chop the pumpkin and either roast it in the oven until tender or boil it until soft. Once cooked, mash the pumpkin into a puree. Combine the pumpkin puree with the cottage cheese mixture.
Add the flour to the mixture and knead to form a dough. Shape the dou…